Miriam Arond at the James Beard Foundation Sustainability Conference

Our own Miriam Arond, Director of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, participated in a session at the James Beard Foundation's conference on "Sustainability on The Table: How Money and Media Influence the Way America Eats". Speaking on a panel called "What Really Drives the Food System? Stakeholder Views". Miriam detailed Good Housekeeping's long history of food advocacy dating back to the early 1900's when the magazine campaigned for the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act which was enacted in 1906. She described how to this day we test products in our labs to help you make educated decisions and are always on the guard for deceptive and unsafe promises and practices.

Most Popular

We don't allow any product to advertise in Good Housekeeping or bear our Seal unless all the claims are substantiated. When we do accept an ad, we stand behind it. If you buy a product that's advertised in the magazine or has the Seal and it becomes defective within two years of purchase, we'll replace the product or refund your money.

In our food pages, we keep in mind the realities of the America woman's life. As we know you're time pressured and money conscious, we make sure our recipes are quick, healthy, easy, and goof proof. Our taste tests help you make smart buying choices.

Lastly, Miriam explained that the new Green Good Housekeeping Sealwas instituted to give consumers guidance in a marketplace awash with green claims.

Through Good Housekeeping Seal, and the education that we offer in the magazine, website, and social media Good Housekeeping plays a vital role in raising awareness among consumers about sustainability and helps them move in a positive direction.

Miriam's panel mates included Alexia Howard Senior Research Analysis for US Foods at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. and Stephan Habif, Vice President Research & Development, North America, at Unilever. Howard predicted that there will be more conflict between packaged food companies and regulators. From Habif, panelists were given an impressive overview of Unilever's sustainability initiatives. He told the conference that by 2015, 100% of Lipton tea will be sustainable and that its competitors will follow so that the entire tea industry will achieve 100% sustainability by 2020. Another impressive initiative on the part of Unilever has been its reduction of salt in its products 10% at a time.